Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
Many people know about and make pilgrimages to the storied Chinatown in Flushing. It’s certainly a must-visit. But often overlooked are all the other concentrated immigrant communities that are a few neighborhoods closer (to Manhattan) than the last stop on the 7 train.
If you asked someone to designate a neighborhood in New York to be known as Little Thailand, then Elmhurst would be your best bet. In addition to many Thai immigrants living in this neighborhood (and nearby Woodside), there are regional Thai restaurants seemingly at every other storefront.
Hug Esan is one of the newer ones and it opened inside a recessed storefront on a residential block. These are the best type of places.
And inside, it feels as if you stumbled into someone’s comfy little living room. The menu is pretty varied specializing in the cuisine from the Isan region in northern Thailand. Flavors are not muted here but take center stage.
I was visiting solo on a quick lunch and couldn’t order enough food. I stuck with two dishes but was salivating at the sound of everything else.
Both were amazing. I had full-on culinary sensations with the unique Nam Khao Tod, a crispy rice salad that had lots of crunchy textures along with major notes of spice, sourness, and herbs. A looming red chili pepper towered over the mix of sour pork sausage, ginger, shallots, and cilantro.
Less bold, but even more delicious was the Gai Yang This butterflied chicken was incredibly juicy having been intensely marinated with fish sauce, coriander, turmeric, garlic, and who knows what other umami-laden ingredients. It was slightly sweet, smoky, and had a hint of funk. It was served with a traditional rich sticky jaew sauce which held the spice.
If the extent of your Thai food experience is Pad Thai and chicken satay, you are truly missing out. And you don’t have to go too far to experience it. It’s just a few stops before Chinatown. Price: $6.75
| HUG ESAN |
| 77-16 Woodside Avenue (between 77th and 78th Street), Elmhurst, Queens |
| hugesannyc.com |
